Sign in to and out of your Surface

When you want to use your Surface, you’ll need to sign in. Find out about your options for signing in to and out of your Surface, including switching accounts and unlocking the screen.

Important

If you're trying to sign in to your Surface but can't remember your password, you can reset your password.

Sign in

Dismiss the lock screen by swiping up from the bottom edge of the screen, or by pressing a key if you have a Surface Type Cover or keyboard attached.

If prompted, enter the password for your user account.

Notes

If you’re using Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book, you can sign in to Windows automatically using the front-facing camera on your device or the fingerprint reader on Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID. For more info, see Windows Hello .

Sign out or lock

Locking protects your account from use and lets someone else sign in with his or her account, without closing your open apps.

Here’s how to sign out of or lock your Surface:

Go to Start , and select your account picture in the upper-left corner of the Start menu.

Select Sign out or Lock. You can also lock your Surface by pressing the Windows logo key +L, or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard and selecting Lock or Sign out.

Switch to another account

If you’re sharing your Surface with someone else, you can switch to their account without signing out or closing apps. Here’s how:

Go to Start , and select your account picture in the upper-left corner of the Start menu.

Select an account. If you don't see the account you want, select Sign out and choose the account you want.

Sign in with Windows Hello (Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book only)

Windows Hello is a more personal way to sign in to your Surface with just a look or a touch. The front-facing camera on Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book recognizes your face and iris, allowing you to sign in to Windows 10 without having to touch the screen or keyboard. If you have a Surface Pro 4 and a Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID (sold separately), you can sign in with a press of your finger.

Other sign-in options

You can also sign in by using a PIN or a picture password. (These options may not be available if you’ve added work email accounts to the Mail app or joined a network domain.)

To set up these options, go to Start , and select Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options. From there, select Picture password or PIN and then follow the on-screen instructions.

To choose when a password is required to sign in to your Surface: Under Sign-in options,select Require sign-in, and choose the length of time you can be away until your Surface requires you to sign in again.